Port-au-Prince (Haiti) - The new commander of the Brazilian troops in Haiti, General João Carlos Vilela, took charge today in a ceremony that marked the general replacement of the UN peace mission contingent. Most of the soldiers were replaced at the end of November, and the new group will spend another half year in the poorest American country, which has been experiencing a crisis since the downfall of President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

The troop substitution operation represents the conclusion of the replacement of the 1,200 Brazilians that make up the peace mission. Vilela substituted General Américo Salvador, chief of the Brazilian brigade since the arrival of the first soldiers in June. The ceremony counted on the participation of the head of the UN forces, General Augusto Heleno.

General João Carlos Vilela arrived in Haiti today. He was the commander of the Twelfth Light (Air Mobile) Infantry Brigade, headquartered in Caçapava, in the interior of the state of São Paulo. His brigade composes the majority of the new soldiers dispatched to Haiti.

Brazil is part of the peace mission created by a United Nations Security Council resolution. At the end of November, the Council voted to extend the peace mission for another six months.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Aloisio Milani
Translator: David Silberstein
12/15/2004